Founder of faulty breast implant company PIP jailed for four years

By
Euronews

The founder of a French company that manufactured faulty breast implants has been jailed for four years.

Jean-Claude Mas, who ran Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP), was found guilty of fraud after deliberately using sub-standard silicone in thousands of implants sold around the world. Mas was also fined 75,000 euros.

His lawyer, Yves Haddad, said he would appeal.

Three other company executives were given shorter jail terms and a fourth was given a suspended sentence.

Dozens of his victims waited outside the court in Marseille.

Joelle Manighetti from France said: “We don’t care about financial compensation, that won’t bring us back our health. What matters is the recognition, the fact that all women are taken into consideration as victims.”

Jan Spivey, a British victim said: “I think it was an important decision, but it’s the first criminal trial that Jean-Claude Mas is facing, so it’s the start, it’s the first step in the right direction as far as we are concerned.”

The scandal first emerged in 2010 after doctors noticed abnormally high rupture rates in PIP implants. Around 300,000 women in 65 countries believed to have received the faulty implants.

The French government has offered to pay to replace all PIP implants. In Britain, the government has said it will pay for those originally fitted for medical reasons.